Salinas police are seeking a suspect whose attempted armed robbery of a taqueria today was foiled after one employee locked herself in an office and the other inside a freezer, police said.

Police were notified at 11:50 a.m. today about a man who had entered the Taqueria El Guero at 834 N. Sanborn Road armed with a black handgun, Salinas police Cmdr. Sheldon Bryan said.

The suspect grabbed the arm of a female clerk, pointed the gun to her head and demanded money, Bryan said.

A second clerk in the restaurant yelled, ran into an office and locked the door. Her scream distracted the gunman enough for the other employee to break free and lock herself in a freezer.

The man then left the eatery without any money, Bryan said.

Police believe the same man thereafter went to another business where he successfully pulled an armed robbery, according to Bryan.

Witnesses described the suspect as a Hispanic male with a mustache, 28 to 30 years old, about 5 feet 7 inches tall with a thin build and wearing blue jeans, a dark gray hoodie with the hood up and sunglasses, police said.

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